Beer of the Week: Saison Dupont

Beer score: 7.9

Company: Brasserie Dupont

ABV: 6.5
IBU: 30

This beer from Belgium almost always draws high marks on various brew review websites, and while I give it fairly high marks myself, I didn't feel it was unique. Don't get me wrong, this is a solid beer. Your Budweiser friends will be at a loss if they try a Saison Dupont, but the flavor and texture here was nothing unexpected and nothing all that complex or unusual. If you like a traditional Belgian ale, you can't get more traditional or normal than this. On the plus side, several people have told me this beer has a skunky odor to it (which is common among beers in green bottles), but I have to say I did not experience any of that. Very earthy overtones without being thick on the tongue, with early hints of fruitiness that die away swiftly to be replaced by a cool bitterness. Has a nice head. This is a bottle-fermented brew and a top-fermented brew. By the way, a "saison" traditionally is a beer somewhat similar to a pale ale but with a low-alcohol level; historically this beer was brewed and fermented in farmhouses in Belgium and possibly some parts of France and served to farm workers.